I studied in modern times

Chapter 1052 Nestorian Monks, Byzantine Desire to Pay Tribute?

Yimenfang was a gathering place for foreign merchants in Bianjing (Kaifeng).

Here, you can find almost every kind of non-Han people known throughout the world.

Sogdians (of the Nine Sogdian Clans), Uyghurs, Tibetans, Tanguts, Qiang people... and even Persians, Arabs, and even Byzantines and Ishmaelites from the Western Regions.

As a result, all sorts of Hu shrines are scattered throughout this area.

The Abbasid Cult, Zoroastrianism, Nestorianism, and other religions...

Every night, it's as if all the gods have descended upon Yimenfang, as all sorts of foreign monks come out to preach.

Xing Shu rode his horse, accompanied by Yuan Sui and his entourage, along the Yimenfang Road under the cover of night.

Although it wasn't my first time here, I was still amazed to see hundreds of households in the neighborhood displaying statues and symbols of foreign religions, and to see passersby with hooked noses and deep-set eyes, all dressed in Han Chinese robes.

So, I couldn't help but slow down and stroll leisurely through the neighborhood.

After walking for a short while, a foreign monk dressed in a white robe suddenly appeared from the side.

Before the foreign monk could even get close, he was stopped by Xing Shu's Yuan Sui, who shouted at him, "Hey! What kind of thieving monk is this? How dare you offend such an important person?"

He was about to grab a stick to drive them away, but Xing Shu, by the light of the lamp, saw what the foreign monk looked like and quickly shouted to stop him: "Don't be rude!"

"This is an imperial decree: The True Man Who Protects Life and Saves from Calamity!"

He dismounted and, surrounded by his attendants, approached the foreign monk, uttering a greeting: "Why has the True Man not been in the temple cultivating the Threefold Dharma, but has personally come out?"

Upon seeing Xing Shu, the foreign monk clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Your Excellency, I have come here today because I received a revelation from the Three Heavenly Venerables that a virtuous person has arrived. I have come here specifically to wait for this virtuous person so that I may share the good news of the Three Heavenly Venerables with him..."

Xing Shu listened and just smiled. He naturally understood the meaning behind the foreign monk's words, and he also understood what the foreign monk wanted to do.
They just want to use him to climb the social ladder!

Originally, the foreign monks of the Song Dynasty were all very timid.

They mostly stayed within their own territory in Yimenfang and didn't dare to go out and preach—because the local religions were too powerful.

Especially the senior monks—they are originally from a foreign religion, and because they have been through the rain themselves, they are determined to tear apart the umbrellas of those who come after them!
Since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, high-ranking monks have always been at the forefront, leading the anti-barbarian sects!
Zoroastrianism, Nestorianism, Aboriginalism—which of them hasn't been repeatedly ravaged by high-ranking monks?

They've all been beaten so badly they're traumatized!
However, in the first year of the Yuan You era, Huainan suffered a severe drought.

The Nestorian monk Tusha, who is the man before us, rallied the local merchants to donate large sums of money and goods, earning praise from the imperial court. Tusha was even bestowed with a title by the Ministry of Rites: the True Man Who Protects Life and Saves from Calamity.

They also permitted them to preach in this Yimenfang neighborhood.

From then on, Nestorian monks began to preach in this Yimenfang area.

He would give out crosses to everyone he met in the neighborhood, saying, "May the Triune God (Jehovah) bless you!"

Or, as it might be said: "May the Three Heavenly Venerables, Messiah, bestow blessings! We offer praise seven times a day, and may they greatly protect the living and the dead! We offer sacrifices once every seven days, and may they cleanse their hearts and return to simplicity!"

As long as a passerby responds, they will immediately take that person's hand and tell him the gospel of the "Three Ones Wonderful Body Without Origin True Lord," and tell him about the various miracles that the Three Heavenly Venerable Mishihe descended to earth to save the common people in accordance with the decree of the Without Origin True Lord.

Then he started saying things like, "All of us who are believers in the Trinity are brothers," and "The cross has the power to drive away evil and bring blessings."

In short, they were desperately trying to recruit followers.

Of course, they still dared not come out during the day, nor did they dare to leave Yimenfang at will.

After all, the monks who trained the monks, though they were not versed in Buddhist teachings, were indeed somewhat skilled in martial arts.

The monk was beaten by these people, but it was basically a free attack.

Reporting it to the authorities is useless!
Who is this person in this hall and why are you suing me?
Therefore, Xing Shu knew that Tu Sha had been actively trying to gain access to the upper echelons of the Song Dynasty and obtain the court's protection so that he could legally and freely preach in Bianjing.

but……

Xing Shu knew in his heart that no matter how hard this person tried, it would be in vain.

As a confidant of the current emperor, Xing Shu was well aware that His Majesty had no interest in non-Chinese religions.

He even uses Buddhism and Taoism primarily for his own purposes!

These barbarian people could neither help the current emperor pacify the vassal states, nor expand the territory for the emperor, nor bring peace and stability to the people for the emperor.

If that's the case, then it's rubbish!
Therefore, Xing Shu immediately made a move to mount his horse.

But Natusha made the sign of the cross on his chest and said urgently, "Scholar, slow down! Slow down!"

"This humble monk has truly good news to offer to the scholar!"

Xing Shu looked at him, his brows furrowing, showing some impatience.

In other words, he valued his reputation and, considering the kindness of the foreign monk who had rallied the local merchants to donate a considerable amount of money and goods to aid the disaster victims, he said, "You foreign monk, stop playing games with me and just say what you have to say!"

Who is he?

They started out as brokers.

What they did was act as a go-between between the new party and the old party.

How can someone who doesn't understand lobbying techniques not understand the persuasive skills of a lobbyist?
Tusha had no choice but to perform the clasped-hands salute again, saying, "So that the scholar may know, I have met a fellow countryman who told me that the ruler of my former country has already sent an envoy to pay homage..."

Xing Shu looked at him, his face darkening, and his tone becoming less friendly: "What nonsense are you spouting, Master?"

"The Kingdom of Fulin is more than ten thousand miles away from our Great Song Dynasty. Moreover, the ruler of Fulin is a powerful ruler who calls himself the King of Kings. Why would he send an envoy to pay tribute?!"

Although he is currently only a Hanlin Academician, he also concurrently holds the positions of Director of the Tongwen Guan, Director of the Honglu Temple, and Judge of the affairs of various non-Han religions.

He is the de facto foreign minister!

Otherwise, how would this Tusha Hu monk recognize him?
As for this monk Tusha, since he was granted a title by the Ministry of Rites, he naturally needed a letter of recommendation and an official document.

Xing Shu recalled that Tu Sha's official document from the Ministry of Rites listed his place of origin: his father, Tu Lin, was originally from the Kingdom of Fulin in the Great Qin Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Renzong (1568), he entered the country with a merchant ship and settled in Bianjing.

The Great Qin Kingdom of Fulin was more than ten thousand miles away from the Great Song Dynasty.
The last time an envoy from Fulin came was in the fourth year of the Yuanfeng reign of the late emperor—in the twelfth month of winter, the Kingdom of Fulin sent an envoy to pay tribute.

After Xing Shu took office, he specifically asked the officials who had been there at the time and learned that the envoys from the Kingdom of Fulin brought mostly imported goods such as incense, medicine, and agate.

Xing Shu could tell at a glance—this was no ordinary tribute envoy from Fulin.
They might just be a few foreign merchants swindling people.

In any case, the Song Dynasty and the Kingdom of Fulin were far apart, so it was impossible for them to be disproven, nor would they bother to disprove it—as a celestial empire, it was bound to maintain some semblance of dignity, with all nations paying tribute to it.

As for the Kingdom of Fulin in the Great Qin Dynasty, a distant country that appeared many times in Tang Dynasty historical records, Xing Shu was quite familiar with it.

When Xing Shu was first granted the authority to manage the Song Dynasty's foreign negotiations and exchanges by the Emperor, the Emperor had a private talk with him and told him about the situations of distant foreign countries that appeared in the historical records of the Han and Tang dynasties.

For example, according to official sources, the Fulin Kingdom was originally a remnant of the Qin Dynasty, as recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian.

It can be considered a major power in the far west.

Along with Parthia and the Abbasid Caliphate, they were all powerful states in their own right, with hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers and millions of people at their peak, and should not be underestimated.

Its ruler, who called himself Emperor, King of Kings, and Lord of Armies, would not and could not possibly travel thousands of miles to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty.

Therefore, any foreigner who claims to be a tribute envoy from Fulin is definitely a fraud!
You can ignore it!

As for why so many Fulin envoys came to the Tang Dynasty?
The Emperor's single sentence provided the answer—the Tang Dynasty is powerful! It can even defeat Fulin!
People who are afraid of being beaten up will take the initiative to come over, drop by, say hello, and incidentally see if the Tang Dynasty is really just preparing to use force.

Originally, Xing Shu did not believe in it.

But after the emperor took out the history books and explained the situation to him in detail, Xing Shu was persuaded.

According to official analysis, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Fulin came to the court because the Tang Dynasty established the Protectorate of Persia to settle the Persian prince Peroz and the remaining Persian people, and also wanted to see if he could send his favors to Persia.

Persia, a neighboring country of Fulin, was the ancient Parthian Empire. Fulin and its predecessor, Daqin, coveted it and desired to conquer it!
Upon hearing of the Tang Dynasty's involvement in the Persian situation, the Kingdom of Fulin naturally sent people to investigate.

For example, during the Kaiyuan era, the reason why Fulin sent envoys to pay tribute was that Gao Xianzhi defeated both Greater and Lesser Bolu, which shocked the Western Regions and distant places.

As a result, not only did Fulin come to court, but the Arabs also came to pay tribute.

This was because at that time, the Abbasid Caliphate and the Arab world were vying for supremacy in the far west, both seeking unification.

In the present day, the Song Dynasty has lost not only Greater and Lesser Bolu, but also Hexi and Lingxia.

How could they possibly "intimidate those in distant lands"? The so-called envoys from Fulin and the Abbasid Caliphate are all undoubtedly frauds!
Although it is unknown where the Emperor learned about these distant and foreign countries.

However, Xing Shu believed the official's judgment and explanation.

Naturally, he grew disgusted with this Tusha—it was always him, Xing Shuxing, and his uncle who fooled others, but now, a mere Hu monk dared to try and fool him.
Do you really think he's easy to talk to?
The Hu monk named Tusha was startled when Xing Shu glared at him and heard his words. His face became even more flustered.

The reason is that he was born in Fulin during the Song Dynasty, and his understanding of Fulin was only from his elders' introductions since childhood.

What Xing Shu said was almost identical to what his father had said—the homeland was the ancient Qin! It was the country ruled by His Majesty the Holy King (Augustus, which can be translated as Holy King or Supreme XX), Grand Marshal, King of Kings, Lord of All Nations, and Emperor who was favored by the Lord.

These things, in the Song Dynasty, tens of thousands of miles away from their homeland, were originally known only to a few Fulin people and Nestorian Christians who were persecuted by Fulin.

But it wasn't classified, and they didn't intend to keep it a secret.

But nobody believed it!

Even Tusa didn't really believe these things.

The main reason is that he had no access to the stories his father told him, and they were also quite different from what he learned from other merchants—such as Arab merchants and Yici Leye merchants—after he grew up.

The Kingdom of Fulin today seems somewhat unworthy of its illustrious titles.

Despite repeated defeats and numerous losses of territory, China has fought against foreign powers.

Internally, the country was in turmoil, looking like it was on the verge of collapse.

He immediately made the sign of the cross and hurriedly explained, "Scholar...Scholar..."

“What this humble monk has said is absolutely true!”

Xing Shu was furious and cursed, "Fulin is tens of thousands of miles away from my Great Song Dynasty. It takes several months to travel by sea!"

"According to what you've said, the King of Fulin would have sent an envoy at the beginning of last year..."

"But what you mean by 'fellow townsmen telling each other'—where are those fellow townsmen? When did they enter our Great Song Dynasty, and on what basis? When did they find out?"

"What evidence do they have that they claim the Kingdom of Fulin sent an envoy?"

At this point, Xing Shu recalled what the Emperor had said and said, "I have heard that the Fulin people regard purple as the most honorable color. If there is indeed a Fulin envoy, there should be a purple official letter!"

"Where is the official letter?" Xing Shu said, reaching out his hand. "Without the official letter, it is tantamount to deceiving the emperor!"

Upon hearing this, Tusha trembled and could not speak.

He never imagined that this Hanlin scholar from the Song Dynasty would be so knowledgeable about the situation in his homeland.

"Could it be that all the Hanlin scholars in China are truly celestial beings descended from the Wenqu Star, born with innate knowledge?" Tusha exclaimed in his heart.

Ok……

Yes, all Nestorian monks inevitably began to Sinicize after entering the Song Dynasty.

What cannot be done by setting up idols? What cannot be done by worshipping any god other than the original God?

None of them exist!

Nestorian temples are just as bustling as Buddhist temples.

The Three Ones, the wondrous body, has no original true master; it is indeed the supreme god.

The Trinity is indeed associated with the cross.

However, other deities such as Mingtai Dharma King (Matthew), Luka Dharma King (Luke), Mojuci Dharma King (Marcus), and Yuhan Dharma King (John) are also prominently displayed in the shrine, sharing incense offerings with the Triune God of the Infinite Body.

Since they had become so Sinicized, it was natural that the Nestorian monks and believers had also come into contact with other feudal superstitions in Chinese folk religion.

Naturally, they were also aware of the saying that Hanlin scholars were the celestial Wenqu star.

There is nothing we can do about this.

Our local competitors are very unreasonable.

If it's not localized, there's no way to play it.

Even the original believers might be lured away by competitors.

Having no other choice, Tusha could only grit his teeth and say with his hands clasped, "Your Excellency, the envoy has not yet arrived, and the official letter is still on its way!"

"But the envoy from Fulin is absolutely true!"

"This humble monk would never dare to conceal this matter!"

Xing Shu's smile began to turn sinister, and he asked directly, "Where's the evidence?"

"Where is your fellow villager?"

"The scholars are all in the small monastery!" Tusha said, forcing himself to speak.

He had no other choice.

He had only heard some stories and made up this story; his original intention was not to scam people out of food and drink.

He simply wanted to give credit to Xing Shu, the only high-ranking official of the Song Dynasty he could currently contact.

Then, taking advantage of this opportunity, they can curry favor with the other party.

Through this other party, a channel for Nestorianism to be established within the upper echelons of the Song Dynasty was opened.

Just like his Tang Dynasty predecessors.

Unexpectedly, this Hanlin scholar seemed to be a little too learned.

Moreover, he didn't care about the merit of sending the 'Fulin tribute envoy' and directly put Tusha under control.

Now, Tusha had no choice but to grit his teeth and keep making things up.

"To be honest, sir, I heard from my fellow countryman that a figure like Cao Cao has emerged in the Abbasid Caliphate. Not only does he hold the Abbasid king hostage to command all sides of the Abbasid Caliphate, but he also leads his army to plunder the Fulin Kingdom. The Fulin king has heard of this man and has now led his army on an eastern expedition. Therefore, he has decided to send an envoy to contact China to jointly plot against this Cao Cao of the Abbasid Caliphate!"

"Cao Cao of the Abbasid Caliphate?" Xing Shu narrowed his eyes, his tone softening slightly.

"Exactly!"

"It is said that this person has a past connection with China, and his ancestors were descendants of the Turks who were driven out of the Tang Dynasty!"

Xing Shu's expression turned serious.

He did know about this—Yelü Ju had told him.

Because the Turks' eastward expedition had reached the Uyghur Khanate.

Unable to resist, the Black Khan Uyghur king sought help from the Liao emperor, who then mobilized the various tribes of Zubu and raised an army of tens of thousands to march west.

At this moment, upon hearing what Tusha said, he murmured, "So, the Turks have already reached Fulin?"

He then asked Tusha, "Is there any falsehood in what you, Master?"

"How dare I deceive you, Scholar?!"

“In that case!” Xing Shu said, “I will report to the Emperor tomorrow and then come to your temple to pay my respects!”

He knew that the emperor had little interest in the far west.

But they were particularly interested in the gold and silver from countries like Napoleon and the Abbasid Caliphate.

If it were true, we could establish direct contact with the Kingdom of Fulin, sign a trade agreement, and profit from its gold and silver.

The emperor will surely be delighted.

And he himself will receive divine favor as a result!

(End of this chapter)